England all-rounder Chris Woakes has retired from international cricket following his omission from this winter’s Ashes squad.
The 36-year-old played 62 Test matches, 122 one-day internationals and 33 T20s for his country.
Woakes was part of the England team which won the 50-over 2019 World Cup in a thrilling final against New Zealand at Lord’s, as well as the T20 World Cup in 2022.
The Warwickshire player made his England debut in a T20 match in 2011 and played his first Test in the final match of the 2013 Ashes series.
Woakes was part of the England side that drew 2-2 in a captivating Test series against India this summer.
He suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder on the first day of the fifth Test and came out to bat with his left arm in a sling on the final day.
England needed 17 runs when Woakes came out at number 11. He did not face a ball but ran four runs before Gus Atkinson was bowled.
Woakes finishes with a Test record of 192 wickets at an average of 29.61 and 2,034 runs at an average of 25.11.
In ODIs, he took 173 wickets and scored 1,524 runs, while he took 31 wickets and scored 147 runs in T20s.
“Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams,” he wrote on social media.
“Representing England, wearing the Three Lions and sharing the field with team-mates over the last 15 years, many of whom have become lifelong friends, are things I’ll look back on with the greatest pride.
“Making my debut in 2011 in Australia seems like yesterday, but time flies when you’re having fun.
“Lifting two World Cups and being part of some amazing Ashes series is something I never thought was possible, and those memories and celebrations with my team-mates will stay with me forever.
“I look forward to continuing to play county cricket and exploring more franchise opportunities in the near future.”
Woakes received the Compton-Miller Medal – awarded to the player of the series – for his role in the 2023 Ashes when he took 19 wickets at 18.14 in his three matches.
“Chris Woakes is one of the finest people to have played the game,” said Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket.
“An extraordinary career carved out alongside two of England’s greatest ever bowlers [James Anderson and Stuart Broad].
“A man who helped every team he played in, even before he walked on to the field.”
ECB chair Richard Thompson added: “The images of Chris walking out to bat with his arm in a sling to try and win a Test match this summer reflected how much he cared about playing for his country and being the best team-mate he could be.
“He has been a gentleman off the field, with the skills and fierce determination to win on it, regularly rising to the occasion on the biggest stage with bat as well as ball.
“We are indebted to have players like Chris represent England and I want to thank and congratulate him for everything he has done in an England shirt for the past 14 years.”
Gautam Gambhir was India’s head coach for their series in England this summer and he praised Woakes as the “man with an iron will”.
He added: “You will be remembered as one of the bravest to ever walk the field Chris.”
‘The ultimate team man’
When Chris Woakes emerged to bat with his arm in a sling in the final Test against India, there was the suspicion it would be his final act in an England shirt.
Whether or not he made it to the Ashes, and regardless of the result, it seemed likely England would want to go in a new direction at the beginning of next summer. Still, it feels incredibly cruel that such a great career would end that way.
In other eras, Woakes’ achievements would have earned greater recognition. His misfortune was to coincide with James Anderson and Stuart Broad as new-ball competitors, and Ben Stokes as an all-rounder.
Maligned as not being quick enough when he made his Test debut in the fifth Ashes Test in 2013, Woakes went on to become one of the most lethal bowlers to perform in English conditions. While his struggles overseas were well known, a home average of 23.87 outstrips Anderson and Broad.
At Lord’s, the most famous ground of all, he had few peers. Only five other men have matched Woakes’ record of registering a Test hundred, five-wicket haul and 10-wicket haul at the home of cricket.
In an era of English cricketing ups and downs, Woakes has seen it all. In that golden era of white-ball cricket, when England were simultaneously world champions in both formats, Woakes was one of only four men to play in both the 50-over World Cup final of 2019 and T20 final in 2022. Overall, he is one of only six England players to have won both World Cups and the Ashes.
His exit is a further departure from the group that formed the core of the England team throughout much of the previous decade and the beginning of this one. Moeen Ali has retired, Jonny Bairstow is out of favour, Jos Buttler now only in the white-ball set-up. Anderson and Broad are gone, Stokes and Mark Wood are nearer the end than the start. Joe Root, at least, looks like he has plenty of time left.
It is a shame that Woakes will not be afforded a proper send-off, but perhaps that unforgettable moment at The Oval was a fitting farewell for the ultimate team man.
Plenty will say that Woakes is the nicest man in cricket, and they would be right. On that Monday morning in August, he also showed that he is the bravest.
